Unloading apparatus.



' PATENTBD JAN. 22, 1907. U. G. MIGNERBY.

UNLOADING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1, 1906.

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No. 841,996. PATENTED JAN. 22, 1907.

. U. G. MIGNERBY.

UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ, 1906.

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ULYSSES G. MIGNEREY, OF JULIAN. NEBRASKA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

UNLOADING APPARATUS.

Patented. Jan. 22, 1907.

Application filed August 1, 1906. Serial No. 328.301.

T0 aZZ whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, ULYSSES G.-MIGNEREY,

elevator, or other storehouse or into cars or boats for transportation,the object of the invention being to provide a simple construction ofapparatus of this character whereby the operation of dumpingthe materialfrom the wagons and depositing the same into the intended receptacle maybe quickly, conveniently, and efiiciently carried out.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of thenovel co truction, combination, and arrangement o f parts hereinafterfully described and claimed, referenoe being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus. Fig. 2is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, taken on line 2 2 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.Figs. 4 and 5 are views showing the positions of the bucket as it nearsand reaches a dumping-point. 1

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a suitable supporting-framecomprising a base or foundation portion 2 and uprights 3 risingtherefrom and having mounted thereon a suitable platform 1, across whichthe wagons or carts which are to be emptied of their contents aredriven, said platform being provided with an inclined approach 5 and anin clined descent 6, located at the opposite ends thereof and which maybe fastened thereto in any preferred manner. These ascending anddescending portions may be in the form of boards provided withcross-strips 7, forming a grated surface in order to allow thedraft-animals to obtain a secure foothold, and, if desired, such boardsmay be detachably secured to the frame 1, as by providing the same withhooks or engaging members 8 to interlock with keepers 9 on the frame,thus allowing the parts to be disconnected to permit the apparatus tobeconveniently transported from place to place.

The platform is provided adjacent the end to which the inclined approach5 is attached With an opening closed by a door 10, hinged or pivoted atits outer end at one side offthe opening, as indicated at 11, andprovided at its inner end with one or more catches 12 to engagekeeper-recesses 13, formed in a fixed portion of the platform at theopposite end of the door-opening. The opposite end of the platform, orthat portion adjacent the descent 6, is formed by the main section 13 of,a trap or dumping device, which main section is provided withrearwardly-extending .arms 14, adapted when the trap is in closedposition to occupy slots 15 in the fixed portion of the platform and tolie flush with the surface of the latter.

The trap or dumping device is pivotally mounted upon a cross-rod 16,fixed in the sides of the frame, and said platform is adapted to betilted through the medium of an operating-spring 17. This spring is ofstrap form and is secured at one end to the base of the frame, thencebent or looped around the rod 16 and adapted to be confined between thesame and the adjacent stationary portion of the platform,and has itsfree end 18 arranged to bear upon the under side of the main section 13of the trap or dumping device, whereby when said trap or dumping deviceis free for movement the spring will project the sec- 3 tion 13 upwardand the arms 14 downward.-

The function of this trap or dumping device is to support the Wagon orcart which is to be unloaded of its contents, the wheels of the cart orrear wheels of the wagon being .arranged to rest upon the arms-14, sothat the trap in tilting will incline the vehicle-body to lower the rearend thereof for the discharge of the substances by gravity down throughthe opening closed by the door 10.

The trap is adapted to be held and locked in normal position by lockingand releasing means comprising a rock-shaft 19, journaled in the sidesof the frame and provided with a pair of cranks or looking members 20,adapted to project under the inner or rear ends of the arms 14, as shownin Figs. 2 and 3, to hold the trap in normal position against the actionof the spring 17. The opening movement of the trap is limited byprojections 21, depending from the inner ends of the arms,

' which projections are adapted to abut against a board 22 on the baseof the platform, the closing movement of the trap being limited anddetermined by the movement of the section 13 down upon the upper portionof the supporting-frame. The shaft 19 is provided at one end with anoperating hand-lever 23,

terminating at its forward end in a handle 24. This lever is angularlybent in a forward direction, so that it will act in the nature of aneccentric lying beyond the axis of the shaft to normally hold tie latterfrom rearward movement, so that the cranks or locking members when inoperative position will be held beneath the arms 14 under all normalconditions of service.

Arranged on one side of the platform is an elevating device comprising abase-frame 25, which extends at its inner endinto the ch amber orcompartment 26 of the main frame I beneath the door 1.0, and may bedetachably fastened to said frame in any preferred manner. 'From theouter, end of the base 25 rise uprights 27, supporting at their upperends an outwardly-extending head frame or portion 28, said uprights andhead-frame being reinforced and connected with the base 25 by struts orbraces 29. A tilting elevating-frame 30 is pivoted at its outer end, asat 31, to the base 25, and carries at its inner or free end a bucket orreceptacle 32, pivotally mounted between the arms or beams thereof on asupporting-rod 33, the pivot-point being slightly below and in rear ofthe center of gravity of the bucket. Mounted on the head-frame 28 is aguide-pulley 34, to the block or frame of which is fastened one of theends 35 of an operating or controlling cord 'or cable 36, which thenceextends around a pulley 37, fastened to the rear wall of the bucket 32,slightly below the horizontal center thereof, and passes back in theform of a loop around the pulley 34, and is finally continued to providean operating portion 38,

extending downwardly over guide-pulleys 39 and 40 and beneath the frame25 and door 10 to the front side of the frame 1. The elevating-frame 30is adapted when the door 10 is open to swing vertically down into andout of the chamber 26 and is normally held in lowered position with thebucket in receiving position in said chamber by the weight thereof.

In operation the wagon or cart to be emptied is driven up the approach 5onto the platform 2, with the rear wheels of the wagon or wheels of thecart'resting upon the arms 1.4 of the trap-door or dum ing device. Afterthe cart or wagon is so isposed upon'the platform the door 1.0 is swungopen, leaving the bucket 32 exposed, and then the lever 23 is tiltedrearwardly, thus throwing the locking members or cranks 20 out ofengagement with the arms 14, whereupon the welght of the vehicle servesto tilt the trap or dumping device. This operation tilts or inclines thevehicle-body rearwardly, so that when the end-gate thereof is open thecorn or other substance contained therein will discharge by gravity intothe bucket 32. After the vehicle has been emptied of its contents it isdriven 'ofl the platform and down the descent 6, its weight in passingover the main section 13 of the trap serving to restore the latter tonormal position, so that the attendant can conveniently reset therock-shaft to dispose the locking members 20 to hold the trap in suchposition. The elevator is then operated by drawing upon the section 38of the rope or cable thereof by manual means or suitable power to swingthe elevating-frame upwardly, the pull of the cable on the bucket 32serving to hold the same in a horizontal position until the resistanceof the cable to its tilting action ceases. whereupon the bucket willautomatically tilt to discharge its contents through the door of a cribor storehouse orinto an underlying car or boat. The upward movement ofthe frame 30 is limited by a cross-bar 41, extending between thestandards 27, thus holding said frame 30 a little outwardly beyond theperpendicular, so that it will maintain its elevated position untilagain thrown rearwardly beyond the perpendicular, so that it can descendby gravity, its speed bf descent being regulated through the action ofthe controlling-cable. It will be apparent that the first pull of thecable upon the bucket will tilt the bucket to an upwardly-inclinedposition, in which it will be maintained by the pulling strain, and thatthe continued motion of the cable will swing the elevatingframe upwardlyand outwardly. When the free end of the elevatingd'rame reachesapproximately the limit of its movement, the bucket will lie slightlybelow the plane of the pulley 34, and the pull thereon will betransmitted in a nearly straight line, thus bringing the bucket to ahorizontal position, in which position it will be maintained by thenearly straight pull of the cable until the elevating-frame reaches asubstantially vertical position, when the bucket will begin to tiltdownwardly and forwardly under the weight of its contents and the framewill fall forwardly by gravity until its motion is arrested by thestop-bar 41, thus causing a quick slack in the cable, whereby the bucketis permitted to tilt by gravity to a full dumping position. The positionof the bucket as it nears and reaches the dumping-point is clearly shownin Figs. 4 and 5, from which it will be apparent that the quick outwardswing of the elevatingframe when it passes beyond the vertical and untilit engages the stop-bar 41 causes the bucket to move at a more rapidrate of speed than the cable, where by a slack occurs in a portion ofthe cable between the pulleys 34 and 37 and the resistance of the cableto tilting action of the bucket is removed. After the dumped load hasbeen elevated and discharged and the bucket has been again swung downinto receiving position in the compartment 26 the door 10 is againclosed to reset the apparatus for unloading a second vehicle in themanner previously described.

r If desired, a suitable stop 42 may be provided. upon the frame 1 tolimit the forward swinging movement of the lever-arm 23.

It will be seen from the foregoing description, taken in connection withthe drawings, that the invention provides a simple, convenient, andeffective form of apparatus for unloading carts or similar vehicles andconveying the load to a suitable point of deposit or into an intendedreceptacle, the operation being such that the apparatus willautomatically tilt the vehicles to dump the load, thus wholly obviatingthe use oi labor for that purpose. The approach 5, descent 6, andelevator are preferably detachably connected so that theapparatus may beconveniently transported from place to place for use, for which purposethe frame 1 may be mounted upon a suitable wheeled truck or providedwith supporting wheels, which may be de tached or folded up, so that itmay rest squarely upon the ground to secure a firm support when theapparatus is in operation.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. Anunloading apparatus comprising a platform having an opening therein, adoor forming a portion of the platform for closing said opening, a trapor dumping device adapted to be automatically operated by the vehicle,whereby the latter may be tilted to discharge its contents through saidopening, means for holding the platform in normal position andreleasing-it, a receptacle disposed below the opening in the platform,and a swinging elevator carrying said receptacle and movable through theopening.

2. An unloading apparatus comprising a frame having a platform or runwayprovided with an opening, a door for normally closing said opening, atilting trap or dumping device forming part of the platform and adaptedto be automatically actuated by the vehicle, whereby the latter may betilted to discharge its contents through said opening, spring means fortilting the trap, means for normally holding the trap in normal positionand releasing it for operation, a receptacle below the opening in theplatform, and means for elevating said receptacle through said open- 3.A device for unloading wagons and delivering the contents thereof,comprising a frame having a platform provided'with an opening therein, adoor for normally closing said opening, a trap or vehicle-tilting deviceupon the platform, means for normally holding said trap in closedposition, means for tilting it upon the release of said holding means, aswinging elevator movable through said opening, a dumping-receptaclepivotally mounted upon the elevator, and means for swinging saidelevator, and controlling the action of said receptacle.

4. An apparatus for unloading vehicles and conveying the contentsthereof to a desired point, comprising a frame having a platform orrunway provided with an opening therein, a door for normally closingsaid open ing, a tilting platform-section adapted to support thevehiclewhen the latter is in discharging position, means for holdingsaidsection in normal position, means for tilting said section when saidholding means is released, a -receptacle arranged below the opening inthe platform and movable through the same, a swinging elevator carryingsaid receptacle and movable through said opening, and means forcontrolling the action of said elevator and receptacle.

5. An apparatus for unloading vehicles and conveying the contentsthereof to a desired point, comprising a frame having a platformprovided with an opening therein, a door for normally closing saidopening for the passage of the vehicle thereover, means upon theplatform for tilting the vehicle so that its contents may discharge bygravity through said opening, a swinging elevator movable through theopening, a bucket carried by said elevator, and means for controllingthe action of the elevator and bucket.

6. An apparatus for unloading vehicles and conveying the contents to adesired point of discharge, comprising a frame having a platformprovided with an opening therein, a door for normally closing saidopening for the passage of the vehicle thereover, a tiltingplatform-section adapted to support the vehicle when the latter isarranged in discharging position, said section comprising a main portionand arms, a rock-shaft having operating means and provided with membersmovable under said arms to maintain said tilting platform-section innormal position, means for tilting the platform'when said operatingelements are thrown out of the path of movement of the arms, areceptacle arranged below the opening in the platform, and an elevatorfor swinging said receptacle through the opening to a desired point.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ULYSSES G. MIGNEREY.

WVitnesses:

W- E. YOUNG, ARTHUR BROWN.

